VVS1 Clarity Diamond Guide: What It Means, How It Looks and What It Costs

What is a VVS1 clarity diamond?

Clarity describes how free a diamond is from inclusions (tiny features inside the stone) and blemishes (features on the surface). GIA, the Gemological Institute of America, grades clarity on an 11-step scale from Flawless down to I3, and VVS1 sits third from the top. The letters stand for Very, Very Slightly Included, and the 1 marks the cleaner of the two VVS grades. Our guide to the full FL to I3 clarity scale covers every step; this page zooms in on just one.

GIA's definition for the VVS range is that inclusions are so slight they are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10× magnification. At VVS1 they are extremely difficult to see, and often the grader can only find them by turning the diamond over and looking through the pavilion (the lower, pointed half of the stone). At VVS2 they are very difficult to see, but can usually be found face-up. That is a fine line, drawn by trained eyes with a loupe or microscope, and it has nothing to do with what you see when the ring is on your hand.

Clarity is one of the four Cs, alongside cut, colour and carat, and at the top end it is the C where grade differences are least visible. Above VVS1 sit the Flawless and Internally Flawless grades, which are rarer again. If any term on this page is new to you, it is defined in our jewellery glossary.

What inclusions does a VVS1 diamond have?

Graders weigh five factors for every feature: its size, number, position, nature (what type it is) and relief (how much it contrasts with the diamond around it). A VVS1 stone usually has only one or two features, all tiny and low in contrast. The most common are:

• Pinpoints: single minute crystals that look like a speck of dust even at 10×.
• Needles: very fine, thin crystals that can sit anywhere in the stone; near the girdle (the narrow outer edge) they are hardest to find.
• Faint clouds: a small group of pinpoints so faint it reads as a slight haze under magnification.
• Internal graining: faint lines from uneven crystal growth, sometimes visible only at one angle.
• Minor blemishes: a tiny extra facet, a polish line or a natural (a sliver of original crystal surface) on the girdle. These often have little or no effect on the grade.

Position matters as much as size. A pinpoint tucked under the crown near the girdle may be hidden by the reflections of the facets and leave a stone at VVS1. The same pinpoint sitting under the table (the large flat top facet) is easier to find face-up and could push the grade to VVS2. That is also why two VVS1 diamonds can have quite different inclusions on their reports: the grade reflects how hard the features are to see, not a fixed list of what is allowed.

Laboratory-grown diamonds graded by labs such as IGI use the same clarity terms (GIA now describes lab-grown quality differently), and because they grow in controlled conditions a large share of them fall in the VVS and VS range. Their inclusions look different from natural ones: HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) stones can contain tiny metallic flux particles, while CVD (chemical vapour deposition) stones may show dark pinpoints or growth lines. Our page on the inclusions typical of lab-grown diamonds explains what to expect at each grade.

VVS1 diamonds are very rarely clarity-treated, because treatment is used to hide inclusions that can actually be seen. It is still worth knowing how laser drilling and fracture filling work: GIA does not issue grading reports on fracture-filled diamonds, and a laser drill hole is itself a clarity characteristic that appears on the report.

How does a VVS1 diamond look face-up?

Face-up, at normal viewing distance, a VVS1 diamond looks exactly like a VVS2, a VS1 and almost every VS2 of the same cut and colour. It is eye-clean, meaning nothing is visible without magnification, but so are the grades either side of it. Its brilliance (white light returned to your eye) and fire (flashes of colour) come from the cut, not the clarity. Inclusions this small do not block enough light to change how the stone sparkles.

The useful comparison is with its neighbours. One grade down, VVS2 clarity diamonds have features that are very difficult rather than extremely difficult to find. Two grades down, the VS1 grade is where a grader can find the inclusions face-up with some effort. Three grades down, eye-clean VS2 diamonds are the point at which most round brilliants still look clean but you start to check each stone individually.

Where VVS1 does show a difference is under a loupe or a microscope. If you are someone who will examine your own diamond at 10×, or who simply wants to know there is almost nothing there to find, that certainty is what the grade gives you.

Does VVS1 clarity matter more for some diamond shapes?

Yes, a little. Brilliant cuts such as the round, oval and pear have many triangular and kite-shaped facets that break light into small, busy reflections, and those reflections hide inclusions well. Step cuts such as the emerald and Asscher have long, parallel facets and a large open table, which work like a window into the stone. In a step cut, an inclusion that would vanish in a round can be easier to spot.

So a VVS1 emerald cut diamond is a more reasonable choice than a VVS1 round of the same size, especially as the stone gets bigger and the table gets wider. Our guide to clarity in Asscher cuts goes into how step-cut windows behave, and the page on colour and clarity pairings for every shape sets out sensible targets cut by cut.

Size plays a part too. A 1 ct round is about 6.4 mm across, a 2 ct about 8.1 mm and a 3 ct about 9.3 mm, so the table, and any inclusion under it, gets larger as the stone does. Under about 1.5 ct in a brilliant cut, VVS1 is almost always about certainty rather than looks. Do not confuse diamond clarity with coloured gems, either: inclusions in emerald gemstones are expected and graded very differently, and the word emerald on a diamond report refers only to the cut.

What colour and metal suit a VVS1 clarity diamond?

Clarity and colour are separate grades, but they are usually chosen together. Most people who want a VVS1 diamond also want a very white stone, so they pair it with D to F colour, the colourless range. Pairing VVS1 with J or K colour is unusual: you would be paying for a quality nobody can see while accepting a warmth that many people can. Our guide on whether to spend on colour or clarity first explains why colour is normally the more visible choice.

• Platinum or white gold: D–G colour suits a VVS1 stone; white metal shows any warmth in the diamond.
• Yellow gold: G–J colour can look white against the metal, so a top colour grade adds less.
• Rose gold: H–J colour sits comfortably; the pink metal warms the whole ring.

The setting also reduces what clarity can show. Claws sit over the girdle, and a bezel (a thin rim of metal around the edge) covers it entirely, so a feature near the edge of a VS1 may be hidden once the stone is set. That makes the visible gap between VS1 and VVS1 even smaller on a finished VVS1 diamond engagement ring.

How much does a VVS1 clarity diamond cost in Australia?

Clarity affects price in steps. Each grade up costs more for the same weight, colour and cut, and the step between VVS1 and its neighbours is larger for natural diamonds than for laboratory-grown ones, because natural VVS stones are much rarer while lab-grown stones are often grown clean. The table below shows broad ranges for a 1 ct round with G colour and an Excellent cut.

These are approximate ranges only. Prices move with the market, and cut quality, fluorescence and the grading lab all shift a stone within its band. In natural diamonds, the step from VS1 to VVS1 is often a few thousand dollars at 1 ct, enough to move up a colour grade or a fair way in carat weight. In lab-grown diamonds the step is often only a small amount, which changes the maths considerably.

Whether that extra spend makes sense is a personal call, and our page on whether VVS clarity is worth the extra works through some examples. At the other end of the scale, SI2 diamonds show how far down you can sometimes go in a well-chosen brilliant before inclusions become visible.

VVS1 vs VVS2 vs VS1: what is the real difference?

The real difference between these three grades is how long a trained grader has to search with a loupe. In VVS1 vs VVS2, it comes down to whether a feature is visible from the top or only from below. In VVS1 vs VS1, the inclusions are a little larger or better placed for a grader to see, but still invisible to you. None of them affects durability in everyday wear; diamond is 10 on the Mohs hardness scale whichever of these grades it carries.

Grading is also a judgement. Different labs, or different graders, can occasionally place a borderline stone one grade apart, and the VVS1 to VVS2 boundary is one of the finest on the scale. That is another reason to look at the plotting diagram (the map of inclusions on the report) and the stone itself, not just the letters.

When is a VVS1 diamond the smart pick?

VVS1 is not a better-looking grade, but there are real situations where it earns its place. It tends to make sense when:

• The stone is a large step cut. An emerald or Asscher of 2 ct or more has a wide table, and the extra margin of clarity removes any chance of a visible feature.
• You are buying a top colour. In a D–F diamond, some people want the clarity grade to match the colour, and at that level the stone is chosen for its paperwork as much as its looks.
• It is lab-grown and the step is small. A lab-grown VVS1 diamond often costs only a little more than a VS1, so the certainty is inexpensive.
• You value knowing. If you will look at your diamond under a loupe, or it simply matters to you that there is almost nothing to find, that is a fair reason.

It is usually not the smart pick when it would stretch your budget, when it would mean a lower cut grade or a smaller stone, when you are choosing a brilliant cut under about 1.5 ct, or when it is going into yellow or rose gold with a warmer colour grade. Clarity is a ladder, and at the bottom the included I1 to I3 grades are where inclusions genuinely change the look. The visible part of the ladder sits far below VVS1.

How do you check a VVS1 diamond before you buy? Step by step

1. Check the report. Confirm VVS1 clarity, the grading lab, and whether the diamond is natural or lab-grown. Match the report number to the laser inscription on the girdle, if the stone has one.
2. Look at the plotting diagram. See where each feature sits. Some shorter reports for smaller stones do not include a plot, so ask for the full report or a magnified image if you want to see it.
3. Read the comments. Note anything like clouds not shown or additional features, and check for any mention of treatment.
4. Compare cut and colour first. Make sure the cut is Excellent (or Ideal) and the colour suits your metal before paying for the clarity step.
5. Price the neighbouring grades. Ask for the same weight, colour and cut in VVS2 and VS1, so you can see exactly what the VVS1 step costs.
6. View it at normal distance. Look at the stones side by side at arm's length, then under a loupe, and decide which difference matters to you.